
A History of Western Civilization: "Techne" and Sophia II A History of Western Civilization: "Techne" and Sophia II
This three-quarter sequence will examine the history of the relation between “Techne,” (science and technology) and Sophia (wisdom). How does technology, especially “IT,” shape the ideas of our...

Beyond the End: Writing in Response to Climate Crisis Beyond the End: Writing in Response to Climate Crisis
Course Description:
This course is designed to build on the autumn quarter literature course Telling New Stories: Literary Imagination and the Climate Crisis. Participants will find this course...

Brahms and the Twilight of Musical Romanticism Brahms and the Twilight of Musical Romanticism
This course examines the nostalgic (yet forward-looking) symphonies, piano music, and chamber music in which Brahms, along with his contemporaries, Wolff and Bruckner, created an enduring testimonial...

By the Book: Police Procedurals By the Book: Police Procedurals
What do police do? How is policing the stuff of storytelling? In what ways have police represented collective protagonists and antagonists in our cities? Beneath the gripping plots and crackling...

Capitalism in the 20th Century Capitalism in the 20th Century
Capitalism defined the 20th century. Through two world wars, a great depression, and globalization, capitalism connected people around the world even as it divided them, led to unprecedented...

Creative Writing One Creative Writing One
This course will introduce you to creative writing, from generating ideas to revising drafts. Find your voice and develop your craft through in-class and at-home writing exercises, as well as...

Dark Protagonists & Controversy Dark Protagonists & Controversy
By the 1970’s anti-heroes had taken over the collective imagination in American entertainment. More recently television shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, fiction writers like Gillian Flynn and...

Great Big Novels: Dostoyevsky The Brothers Karamazov Great Big Novels: Dostoyevsky The Brothers Karamazov
Of Dostoevsky’s greatest novels, Brothers Karamazov stands out for its polyphonic narrative structure and carnivalesque sensibility. Join us for a close reading and discussion of all its voices.

How to Read Classic Texts How to Read Classic Texts
This course is intended to address some of the more persistent and daunting difficulties we face when beginning to read classic texts of the Western cultural tradition.
We will begin from...

In the Face of Adversity: Homer’s Odyssey and the Bible’s Job In the Face of Adversity: Homer’s Odyssey and the Bible’s Job
The twin foundations of “Western” civilization are often thought to be the Classical tradition of ancient Greece and Rome on the one hand, and the Biblical tradition of ancient Israel on the other. In...